Authorities investigate medical service deal with league star Greg Inglis

By Saffron Howden, Adrian Proszenko and Brad Walter

May 9, 2014 — 4.53pm

Federal health authorities are investigating how rugby league star Greg Inglis came to be paid up to $90,000 a year from Medicare funds to do promotional work for the Redfern Aboriginal Medical Service, a registered charity where his club's former director is the chairman.

Inglis, a fullback for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, signed the three-year contract with Australia's largest and busiest Aboriginal medical service in December 2010. The contract was renewed in December last year at a reduced rate of $50,000.

South Sydney's Greg Inglis.Credit:Janie Barrett

In it, he agreed to do promotional and ambassadorial work for the AMS.

But the federal Department of Health said Medicare income at the service could only be used to fund primary health care.

Advertisement

"Medicare income in grant-funded Aboriginal medical services must be used for primary health care services," a spokeswoman for the department said.

"Our previous investigations did not show that any Commonwealth money, Medicare or otherwise, was used to employ Mr Inglis.

"However, we will be investigating this new information."

Authorities are also investigating other aspects of the AMS, she said.

The third-party agreement - outside Inglis' salary from the Rabbitohs - was lodged with the NRL and it is understood there is no suggestion of any salary cap breach.

Inglis' manager, Allan Gainey, said the player had gone above and beyond his contractual obligations and was not aware of how the AMS managed its finances.

"I don't know how their internal financial situation works," he said.

"All I know is that Greg's accountant invoices them on a monthly basis and the fee is currently $4583.33, inclusive of GST.

"That's what they get invoiced and that's what he gets paid every month. We signed an agreement in good faith with the Aboriginal Medical Service so he could go out and be an ambassador."

Mr Gainey disputed the $90,000 figure and said it was, in fact, $75,000 per annum under the first contract. However, the AMS confirmed it was around $90,000.

"The current one ...[is] a three-year deal worth $50,000 per year," he said.

Souths said it was not aware of any problem with Inglis' third-party contract with the AMS and had only received positive feedback about his involvement with the service.

Sol Bellear, the chairman of the Redfern AMS and a member of the Rabbitohs, was a director of Souths until 2006 when the club board decided to offer a stake in the Rabbitohs to Russell Crowe and Peter Holmes à Court - a decision Mr Bellear opposed.

"He left the board when the club was privatised," a spokesman for the AMS said.

"This occurred years before Greg Inglis signed on as a health ambassador for the AMS Redfern."

The AMS, which at its main clinic sees between 70 and 110 patients a day, disputes any wrongdoing.